Thousands face arrest over drug firm bribes

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A huge inquiry into drug industry marketing has ended with Italian police asking for almost 5000 people to be put on trial, including more than 4000 doctors and at least 273 employees of the British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline. Some face up to five years in jail if convicted.

The Guardia di Finanza, the investigative police attached to Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance, said GlaxoSmithKline and its predecessor firm had spent €228 million ($390 million) on "sweeteners" for doctors, chemists and others from 1999 to 2002. The alleged bribes ranged from cameras, computers and holidays through to cash.

The finance police said GlaxoSmithKline "should be held responsible for corporate crime as its managers and other employees acted in the company's interest".

A spokesman for GSK said last night it had been "co-operating closely with the authorities to facilitate their investigations".

"GSK is committed to ensuring that all its business practices are of the highest standards and any breach of that is unacceptable."

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But a British-based pharmaceuticals analyst said the type of activity the Italian authorities allege to have uncovered is common practice among global drug companies.

"It goes on all over the world - but in parts of Europe, these things are absolutely rife," he said. "For example, doctors may be given 'research grants' - but there are no limits on how they can spend them."

He cited cases in which doctors had been offered cars or holidays as inducements to prescribe a particular brand.

Italy's Adnkronos news agency reproduced what it said was a letter by a GlaxoSmithKline district manager among the 10,000 pages of evidence assembled by the police. The letter urged sales representatives to approach specialists directly to get them to prescribe a cancer drug produced by the company.

Illicit incentives were said to have been disguised in the company's accounts under the headings of "field selling", "other promotion" and "medical phase IV".

Of the 4713 people facing charges, 4440 are doctors. They include more than 2500 family doctors and some 1700 specialists.

The most serious accusations have been levelled at doctors, pharmacists and sales representatives alleged to have been involved in a program intended to promote Hycamtin, a drug mainly used in the treatment of lung and ovarian cancers.

In some cases, it is claimed, specialists received a pro rata cash payment based on the number of patients treated with the drug.

A senior finance police officer, Giovanni Mainolfi, estimated that the two-year investigation was costing GlaxoSmithKline's Italian subsidiary €400 million a year in lost sales.

Evidence gathered during the investigation has been passed to a prosecutor, who will decide whether to seek indictments from a judge. The finance police are also investigating other drug companies.